The first came in the 37th minute when goalkeeper Tally Hall caught a back pass from David Horst inside the box. The result was a rare indirect free kick that Khari Stephenson slammed home. Hall’s night got worse in the 70th minute when Atiba Harris beat him to a ball at the top of the box that ended with the midfielder knocking in his own rebound for the final tally.

Those miscues bookended a 58th minute penalty kick goal by Stephenson that came on a foul by Corey Ashe on Steven Lenhart. The call could be debated, the result, however, was another goal and self-inflicted wound.

“I think it’s fortifying the defense a little bit,” midfielder Servando Carrasco said when asked how to fix the issues. “I think we’ve been solid all year … maybe just focus a little bit at times. I think if we all focus on our individual game in the long run, hopefully by next week, we can change those mistakes and move forward.”

Houston avoided excuses over the limited number of players available – they only dressed 17 on the night due to international call-ups, suspensions and injuries – and fatigue from a cross-country trip.

Instead, they admitted that the internal miscues that plagued them Sunday, and throughout the season, need to stop if the club wants to finish where they believe they should.

“I think we’ve just got to cut out the errors we’ve been making as a team,” said midfielder Andrew Driver. “These are massive for us, and we just need to stick together. Obviously, we’ve had a few injuries and we just need to pull together and focus on the Colorado [Rapids]. … We need to get a victory as soon as possible.”